It is known to provide photovoltaic panels on a roof, to receive energy from the sun and to transform that energy into electrical energy for providing heat, for heating water, or for any of the other myriad uses that electrical energy can provide in a residence, office building, warehouse, or other structure.
It is also known that such photovoltaic panels can be bulky, unsightly, or otherwise undesirable in appearance, as well as expensive in their installation and use. Frequently, such panels need to be faced toward the direction at which the maximum amount of sun will impinge thereon, which may not be best direction for such panels to face to maximize aesthetic effects on a roof.
More recently, it has become known to integrate photovoltaic elements into roofing materials, such as shingles or the like, wherein certain shingles on a roof will have photovoltaic elements on their surfaces, comprising a roof zone or plurality of zones, wherein sunlight can create electricity, by having those particular shingles facing in a direction of the sun that will maximize exposure of the photovoltaic coated shingles to the sun.